A fixing mechanism for storage device includes a frame, and a detent component. One sidewall of the frame has a latch member. The detent component is movably disposed on the sidewall of the frame, and has a pressing component and an operating component. The operating component is disposed with at least one stop block. When the operating component is moved relative to the frame to a press position, the pressing component pushes the latch member to engage with the storage device, the stop block is embedded in the frame, and the detent component is held in the press position. Accordingly, the storage device may be fixed to the frame rapidly without using any screw, the operating procedure is dramatically simplified, and the space occupied by the fixing mechanism and the manufacturing cost are reduced.
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1. A fixing mechanism fixing a storage device to an electronic device, comprising:
a frame having an accommodating space for receiving the storage device, wherein the storage device has a fixing hole formed in at least one sidewall of the storage device, one sidewall of the frame corresponding to the fixing hole has a guide rail and a latch member, the latch member is integrally formed with the frame, a free end of the latch member is bent toward the outside of the frame, and forms an angle with the sidewall of the frame when the storage device is not inserted to the accommodating space, the free end of the latch member has a hook bent toward the inside of the accommodating space and corresponding to the fixing hole, and the sidewall of the frame has a limit component corresponding to the guide rail; and
a detent component movably disposed on the sidewall of the frame and having a pressing component and an operating component, wherein the pressing component is movably connected to the guide rail, and the operating component has a stop block,
wherein when fixing the storage device to the frame, the operating component is moved to make the pressing component move toward the latch member along the guide rail to push the hook of the latch member to engage with the fixing hole of the storage device, and to make the stop block stop at the limit component in a press position; and
wherein when releasing the storage device from the frame, the operating component is pressed to make the stop block depart from the limit component, and the operating component is moved in a reverse direction, and the pressing component is moved away from the latch member, so that the latch member departs from the fixing hole of the storage device in a release position, and the storage device is drawn out of the frame.
2. The fixing mechanism according to
3. The fixing mechanism according to
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8. The fixing mechanism according to
9. The fixing mechanism according to
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This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 099218496 filed in Taiwan, R.O.C. on Sep. 24, 2010, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing mechanism, and more particularly to a fixing mechanism for installing a storage device in a computer housing without using any screw.
2. Description of Related Art
Personal computers (PC) typically employ Direct Access and Storage Devices (DASDs) such as hard disk drives (HDD) and optical disk drives (ODD). These devices are typically maintained in the mechanical chassis of a computer housing. This configuration includes a DASD that slides into or is bolted to the mechanical chassis of the computer housing.
However, a problem facing the industry is the inability of users and manufacturers to quickly interchange DASDs. DASDs are typically mounted to the mechanical chassis of a computer housing via screws. For personal computer (PC) manufactures and users, this is a problem which leads to a complex production procedure and a high labor cost, and also affects the production efficiency. By using screws to attach the DASD, the PC manufacturer/user is subsequently forced to use a screw driver or similar tool to remove the DASD. Since PC retailers and service organizations typically charge hourly rates for assembling and disassembling computer systems, it is desirable that assembling/disassembling process take as little time as possible.
Additionally, as the number of the screws is large and the size thereof is small, some of the screws may be left inside the computer housing, contact the circuit board and cause short circuit.
Accordingly, what is needed is a fixing mechanism for installing a storage device in a computer that solves these problems. The present invention addresses these needs.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a fixing mechanism for storage device that can alleviate the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.
Accordingly, a fixing mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention for fixing a storage device to an electronic device comprises a frame, and a detent component. The storage device has a fixing hole formed in at least one sidewall thereof. The frame has an accommodating space for receiving the storage device. A sidewall of the frame corresponding to the fixing hole has a guide rail and a latch member, and the sidewall of the frame has a limit component corresponding to the guide rail. The detent component has a pressing component and an operating component, and is movably disposed on the sidewall of the frame. The pressing component is movably connected to the guide rail, and the operating component has a stop block.
The operating component is moved to make the pressing component move toward the latch member along the guide rail to push the latch member to engage with the fixing hole of the storage device, and to make the stop block stop at the limit component in a press position, so that the storage device is fixed on the frame.
The operating component is pressed to make the stop block depart from the limit component, the operating component is moved in a reverse direction, and the pressing component is moved away from the latch member, so that the latch member departs from the fixing hole in a release position, and the storage device is drawn out of the frame.
Another fixing mechanism in an embodiment of the present invention for fixing a storage device to an electronic device comprises a frame and a detent component. The storage device having a fixing hole formed in at least one sidewall thereof. The frame has an accommodating space for receiving the storage device. One sidewall of the frame corresponding to the fixing hole has a plurality of fasteners and a latch member. The detent component is mounted within the fasteners and is movably disposed on the sidewall of the frame. The detent component has a pressing component and an operating component. The operating component has a first stop block and a second stop block. A stop surface of the first stop block is opposite to a stop surface of the second stop block respectively extended from two opposite ends of the operating component. A stop surface of the first stop block faces a stop surface of the second stop block, and the operating component is limited by any two fasteners through the stop blocks.
The operating component is pressed to make the second stop block depart from the fastener and the operating component is moved to make the pressing component move toward the latch member to push the latch member to engage with the fixing hole of the storage device, and to make the first stop block and the second stop block be held by any two fasteners in a press position, so that the storage device is fixed on the frame.
The operating component is pressed to make the first stop block depart from the two fasteners, the operating component is moved in a reverse direction, and the pressing component is moved away from the latch member, so that the latch member departs from the fixing hole in a release position, and the storage device is drawn out of the frame.
In view of the above, the present invention has the following beneficial effects. With the design that the latch member can be pressed/released through the displacement of the detent component along the slide direction and thus make the latch member lock/unlock the storage device. Accordingly, a user can install or remove the storage device without using any screw or hand tool, so that the installation/removal of the storage device is dramatically simplified, and the labor and time cost are greatly saved. Furthermore, in the present invention, the structure of the storage device fixing mechanism is simple, and thus the space occupied by the fixing mechanism and the manufacturing cost thereof can be reduced.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below for illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
The fixing mechanism provided by the present invention is used for fixing a storage device, and the storage device may be, but is not limited to, a floppy disk drive (FDD), a hard disk drive (HDD), an optical disk drive (ODD) or other disk storage device. In the following detailed description of the present invention, an ODD is used as an embodiment of the present invention. The accompanying drawings are merely for reference and illustration, and are not intended to limit the present invention.
The fixing mechanism 100 comprises a frame 110 and a detent component 120. The frame 110 is, for example, a drive bracket and is substantially in a π-shaped structure. Therefore, an accommodating space 111 is formed in the frame 110 to receive the storage device 300. Preferably, one sidewall of the frame 110 is recessed toward the accommodating space 111, so that the storage device 300 can be installed thereon to avoid dropping or offsetting from its preset position. A slide slot 115 having an open end and a closed end opposite to the open end is formed on another sidewall of the frame 110.
The storage device 300 has a guide component 320 (e.g. a screw or a rivet) which is screwed to or adhered to one side thereof corresponding to the slide slot 115. The guide component 320 and the fixing hole 310 may be disposed on the same side or opposite sides of the storage device 300, and the present invention is not limited thereto. To insert the storage device 300 into the accommodating space 111 of the frame 110, the guide component 320 enters and is embedded in the slide slot 115 of the frame 110 through the open end of the slide slot 115, and moves along the slide slot 115 until reaching the closed end of the slide slot 115. As the guide component 320 of the storage device 300 can slide linearly to-and-fro along the slide slot 115, the storage device 300 may be inserted in or pulled out from the frame 110 through the guide component 320 precisely.
As shown in
Specifically, two bent slices are disposed in parallel and separated from each other on the sidewall of the frame 110, and an opening 116 is formed between the two bent slices and corresponding to the fixing hole 310. The two bent slices are respectively provided with the guide rail 112 which is parallel to a slide direction Ds. The latch member 113 is located between the two guide rails 112. One end of the latch member 113 is fixed on the sidewall of the frame 110 and in a position next to one end of the opening 116. The latch member 113 extends along the longitudinal axis of the opening 116 toward the other end of the opening 116, and is shorter than the opening 116, so that the other end of the latch member 113 does not protrude from the other end of the opening 116. That is the length of the area formed by projecting the latch member 113 on the opening 116 overlaps a portion of the area of the opening. Besides, the other end of the latch member 113 is bent toward the outside of the frame 110 to form a free end over the frame 110, thus forming an angle θ1 with the sidewall of the frame 110 in a normal state.
At the free end, the latch member 113 further has a hook 1131 bent toward the inside of the accommodating space 111 of the frame 110, and corresponding to the opening 116 and the fixing hole 310. The limit component 114 protrudes from the sidewall of the frame 110, so that the top surface of the limit component 114 is at a distance from such sidewall. A limit hole 1141 is formed on the top surface of the limit component 114.
As shown in
On the other hand, for detaching the storage device 300 from the frame 110, the detent component 120 is moved back in reverse direction until the hook 1131 is released. Then, due to the restoring force of the latch member 113, the hook 1131 separates from the fixing hole 310 and returns to the normal state, so that the storage device 300 detaches from the frame 110 and can be pulled out of the frame 110 along the side slot 115.
The detent component 120 has a pressing component 121 and an operating component 122, which are connected to each other and made of plastic, rubber, or metal.
The thickness of the pressing component 121 may be larger than or equal to that of the operating component 122, but the present invention is not limited thereto. A protruding stop block 123 is disposed on a surface of the operating component 122. The stop block 123 has a guide slope 1231 corresponding to the limit component 114. Each of the two opposite sides of the pressing component 121 has a convex rib 124. The convex ribs 124 are disposed in the two guide rails 112 respectively, so that the pressing component 121 is movably connected to the guide rails 112, and capable of sliding linearly along the guide rails 112 in the direction Ds. Furthermore, the detent component 120 is at a distance D, which may be slightly longer than the height of the stop block 123 of the operating component 122, from the sidewall of the frame 110 (as shown in
Furthermore, by the cooperation of the convex ribs 124 of the pressing component 121 and the guide rails 112, the detent component 120 can slide to-and-fro between a release position and a press position along the slide direction Ds.
As shown in
On the other hand, when the detent component 120 is to be detached from the frame 110, only a small force is required to be applied to the elastic press portions 125 of the pressing component 121 to make the elastic press portions 125 be bent toward the middle part of the main body of the pressing component 121, so that the convex ribs 124 are detached from the guide rails 112, and the detent component 120 is separated from the frame 110.
As shown in
It should be noted that, the configuration of the detent component 120 in this invention can be adjusted according to actual requirements, and the position and number of the guide rail 112, the elastic press portion 125, and the convex rib 124 may also be changed. For example, the elastic press portions 125 and the convex ribs 124 of different numbers are only disposed on either side of the pressing component 121, and the guide rails 112 of the frame 110 can also be adjusted according to the form of the elastic press portions 125 and the convex ribs 124; or, one elastic press portion 125 and one convex rib 124 are respectively disposed on the two opposite sides of the pressing component 121 in a symmetric or an asymmetric manner, and the guide rails 112 of the frame 110 is also adjusted according to the form of the elastic press portion 125 and the convex rib 124.
Moreover, the configuration of the anti-slip strip 126 of the operating component 122 may also be modified according to actual requirements, and the present invention is not limited thereto.
As shown in the
Due to the interference between the stop block 123 and the limit hole 1141 of the limit component 114, the stop block 123 is limited to the limit hole 1141, so that the problem of the detent component 120 departing from the press position due to collision incurred by an external force or unconscious operations is prevented. In addition, because the detent component 120 is limited to the guide rails 112 through the convex ribs 124, it is stably held in the press position. Therefore, the detent component 120 keeps applying pressing force on the latch member 113 to effectively maintain the engagement of the hook 1131 to the fixing hole 310. Thus, the storage device 300 is well secured within the frame 110.
As shown in the
In the second embodiment, the fixing mechanism 200 comprises a frame 210 and a detent component 220. The frame 210 is, for example, a drive bracket, and an accommodating space 211 is formed inside the frame 210 to receive a storage device 300.
At least one sidewall of the frame 210 is disposed with a slide slot 214 which has an open end and a closed end. A guide component 320 is screwed on one side of the storage device 300 and corresponding to the slide slot 214, and is capable of sliding in the slide slot 214 of the frame 210.
As shown in
One end of the latch member 213 is fixed on the sidewall of the frame 210 and in a position next to one end of the opening 215, and the latch member 213 extends along the longitudinal axis of the opening 215 and toward the other end of the opening 215. In addition, the latch member 213 is shorter than the opening 215, so that the other end of the latch member 213 does not protrude from the other end of the opening 215. Besides, the other end of the latch member 213 is bent toward the outside of the frame 210 and forms a floating end above the frame 210, thus forming an angle θ2 with the sidewall of the frame 210 in a normal state.
At the floating end, i.e. a free end, the latch member 213 further has a hook 2131 bent toward the inside of the accommodating space 211 of the frame 210 (as shown in
As shown in
The detent component 220 has a pressing component 221 and an operating component 222, which are connected to each other and made of plastic, rubber, or metal, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The operating component 222 may be disposed on two opposite sides or on one side of the pressing component 221. In this embodiment, the operating component 222 is located on one side, such as upper side, of the pressing component 221, and a first stop block 223 and a second stop block 224 respectively extend from two opposite ends of the operating component 222 for limiting the operating component 222 by clipping onto any two fasteners 212. Each of the first and the second stop blocks 223, 224 has a stop surface directly across from each other and a guide slope facing away from the operating component 222.
The detent component 220 is disposed between the two rows of the fasteners 212. The operating component 222 is held by one row of the fasteners 212, and the side of the pressing component 221 opposite to the operating component 222 is held by the other row of the fasteners 212, so that the detent component 220 can slide to-and-fro between a release position and a press position along the slide direction Ds. Preferably, the pressing component 221 and the operating component 222 each may further have a guide groove parallel to the slide direction Ds. Accordingly, the detent component 220 is joined to the two rows of the fasteners 212 through the guide grooves of the pressing component 221 and the operating component 222, and thus the reliability and the stability of the detent component 220 are improved while the detent component 220 slides to-and-fro along the slide direction Ds. In addition, the operating component 222 is at a distance D from the sidewall of the frame 210 (as shown in
As shown in
Furthermore, a guide slope 2211 is disposed on an inner surface of the pressing component 221 facing the frame 210, and inclines toward the latch member 213. That is, the thickness of the pressing component 221 gradually decreases along the direction toward the latch member 213. In addition, the guide slope 2211 is further disposed with a protruding press block 2212.
As shown in the
As shown in the
In the release position, the pressing component 221 does not contact the latch member 213. In this embodiment, preferably, a limit slice is disposed on the sidewall of the frame 210. The limit slice is disposed corresponding to the pressing component 221 of the detent component 220, and is used for limiting the detent component 220 in the release position. The latch member 213 is restored to the force-free state as the pressing component 221 is released, so that the hook 2131 departs from the fixing hole 310 of the storage device 300. Thereby, the latch member 213 is restored to the normal state, and forms an angle θ2 with the frame 210 again (as shown in
In the fixing mechanism for storage device of the present invention, the latch member can be pushed/released through the displacement of the detent component along the slide direction Ds, and thus make the latch member lock/unlock the fixing hole of the storage device. That is, the storage device is fixed in the frame or detached from the frame depending on the resilient deformation of the latch member, so that the storage device can be easily installed into or removed from the computer housing. By using the fixing mechanism of the present invention, the user can install or remove the storage device without using any screw or hand tool, so that the installation/removal of the storage device is dramatically simplified, and the labor and time cost are greatly saved.
Furthermore, in the present invention, the structure of the fixing mechanism is simple, the installation is easy and convenient, and the space occupied by the fixing mechanism and the manufacturing cost thereof can be largely reduced.
While the invention has been disclosed with respect to a limited number of embodiments, numerous modifications and variations will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that the following claims cover all such modifications and variations that may fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
Liu, Yung-Lung, Tseng, Chuan-Chieh, Liu, Chih-Li, Kuo, Po-Hsiu
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